Pretoria – The late former President Nelson Mandela was last night honoured as the National Press Club – North West University Newsmaker of the Year for 2013.
National Press Club chairperson Jos Charle said at the awards event in Pretoria that Nelson Mandela dominated the news in 2013, both in terms of impact and media coverage.
“We are not commemorating his death but celebrating the life of a world icon and legend, as well as his role as an international statesman.
“Nelson Mandela’s death riveted the attention of the world for 10 days. It consumed South Africans – and much of the world – as the country pulled out all the stops to bury the father of the South African nation with military precision and ancient Xhosa customs,” Charle said.
Charle said the world’s news media – television, radio, print and online – extensively reported on Mandela’s life and his role in South Africa’s liberation struggle for weeks following his death.
One hour after the announcement of his death, two million tweets were generated, with over six million tweets recorded on 5 December, the day of his death.
The hash tags #RIPNelsonMandela, #Madiba and #RIPMandela were the top three topics on the social network on that morning. At one stage, there were 95 000 tweets per minute - more than 13 million over a month.
The Nelson Mandela Facebook page gathered over 2.2 million likes and several posts, including tributes from the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Within minutes of the announcement of his passing, which was broadcast internationally, crowds of all hues began flocking to the former President’s home, where they prayed, sang and laid flowers.
Countries - from the US to New Zealand - joined South Africa in lowering their flags to half-mast and 91 heads of state attended the funeral, with 4 500 journalists from all over the world covering the funeral. South African broadcast houses ran only “Madiba” programmes for more than 10 days.
For 86 days last year, the world’s media camped outside the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria, where Mandela had been admitted for a recurring lung infection.
Charle said in February -- the month Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison -- Madiba became the first non-Briton to be honoured with a memorial service at Westminster Abbey, the iconic venue that has been the coronation church for every British monarch since 1066 and the burial place of 17 royals.
“The best known black man in the world and probably the most photographed man in the world certainly leaves behind a living legacy – truly a man for all seasons,” Charle said.
He said the award is made on the grounds of impact, news value and media attention in electronic, print, online and social media.
Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Vice-Principal of the North West University, said it was of utmost importance that SA continues to acknowledge media freedom and encourage independence and high standards of ethical journalism.
“This is the quest for truth in the public interest and appropriate accountability. We salute this endeavour by the National Press Club to raise the bar when it comes to the standards of journalism,” he said.
The club is synonymous with the Newsmaker of the Year Award. Over the years, the club has recognised and awarded many newsmakers.
Previous recipients include President Jacob Zuma, former Presidents FW de Klerk, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
Other newsmakers include Hollywood star Charlize Theron, Zackie Achmat and the Treatment Action Campaign, the late Hansie Cronjé and various other sporting personalities, DA leader Helen Zille, Eskom, COPE and FIFA’s Sepp Blatter and Danny Jordaan also received the award in recent years.
Other recipients were Thuli Madonsela and Julius Malema. Last year, the award went to the South African rhino. – SAnews.gov.za
